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Confident Nittany Lions look like they’re heading to 6-0

Looking back on Saturday and ahead to this week and beyond for the Penn State football team.

Looking back

n 5 things to like

1. Dominance: When you play bad teams, don’t let them hang around by playing sloppy yourself. Crush them.

That’s what Penn State did in its 48-7 win over UMass, which looked completely and thoroughly outclassed in ever facet by the Nittany Lions.

Nothing is guaranteed, but the way things look now, this improving Penn State squad has a great chance to be 6-0 when Ohio State visits Happy Valley on Oct. 25.

2. Another strong defensive performance: UMass had only 3 rushing yards, and it had no chance for success on the ground. Penn State’s defensive line continues to excel, along with the entire front seven. The Lions now lead the nation in rushing defense, giving up just 49.5 yards per game.

3. Running backs: We need to be careful in saying that the running game as a whole looked great Saturday. Akeel Lynch’s 46-yard run early on was pretty much all him, as were a couple of Bill Belton’s better runs.

The offensive line played better in creating some running room, and that’s a good sign. But this was very much a case of PSU having better guys running the ball than UMass had guys trying to tackle.

Belton averaged 10.9 yards per carry (seven for 76), while Lynch averaged 10.1 (eight for 82). That should give both of them more confidence, and while Zach Zwinak averaged only 3.1 (nine for 28), his two short TD runs had to be a big boost for him.

4. Very nice crowd: There once was a time that PSU could draw 100,000 fans against basically any team that showed up. Those days are gone.

But Saturday, against a woeful opponent that no one knows anything or cares anything about, 99,155 fans turned out on a gorgeous day at Beaver Stadium. Impressively, the vast majority of those fans stayed in their seats for most of the game, even though it was a blowout.

5. The Big Ten: That’s right, the embattled conference had a good day. Well, except for Michigan, which is just a disaster of a program right now. More on the Wolverines later. Elsewhere in the league:

Indiana stunned No. 18 Missouri, 31-27. A terrific win for the Hoosiers, who were coming off a horrendous loss to Bowling Green.

Iowa beat Pitt, 24-20 (good for the Hawkeyes but a bad loss at home for the Panthers, who had control of the game).

Maryland beat Syracuse, 34-20.

Michigan State (73-14 over the Eastern Michigan Boldens) and Wisconsin (68-17 over Bowling Green) put up video game numbers.

The Illinois Beckmans spared the league from an embarrassing loss as they rallied to beat Texas State (not the Fightin’ Armadillos from the Scott Bakula/Kathy Ireland movie), 42-35. Despite the win, coach Tim Beckman’s seat probably got even hotter.

n 5 things not to like

1. Take it with a grain of salt: UMass is a really bad team, so it’s hard to be overly excited about anything PSU did in its 48-7 trouncing.

Yes, the running game was better, but consider the opponent.

Yes, the defense was outstanding, but consider the opponent.

Yes, everything worked great for the Lions, but consider the opponent.

Still, even considering the opponent, PSU came out of the game with a lot of confidence, and that’s a big deal in any sport.

2. Hack’s slow start: Christian Hackenberg completed just three of his first 10 passes for 26 yards, and most of his misses were poor throws. He’s had a tendency to misfire more often at the beginning of games, something he needs to correct to help the Lions’ offense get clicking quicker.

3. TE Kyle Carter: He has only six catches for 63 yards in four games, and so far he has been the least reliable receiving target, failing to come up with numerous catchable balls in his area.

To be fair, Carter hasn’t exactly been dropping easy balls right to him. But he’s had several chances to make plays with what would have been above-average catches, and he just hasn’t delivered.

4. Michigan is a disaster: The Wolverines are embarrassing themselves and the Big Ten right now. They were the only conference team to lose Saturday (26-10 at home to Utah), and short of a miracle turnaround, there’s just no way Brady Hoke keeps his job.

That’s good news in the short term for Penn State, which should be able to beat Michigan at The Big House in a few weeks.

But long term, Hoke’s pending departure ultimately could be bad news for Penn State and the rest of the league because once again there’s speculation that LSU’s Les Miles will come to Michigan. If he does – or if another elite coach is brought in – the Wolverines could return to prominence in a hurry.

5. Rob Bolden: The former PSU quarterback had a very Rob Bolden-esque day in his first start for Eastern Michigan in a 73-14 loss to Sparty. He was 10-of-29 for 115 yards and an interception, although he did throw a pair of TDs.

Give the kid credit for sticking it out through adversity and continuing his college career. But considering he was a four-star recruit and the first freshman quarterback to start at PSU in 100 years, his epic struggles have been hard to watch.

Looking ahead

n Penn State opened as a 10-point favorite over Northwestern.

n The Wildcats had lost nine out of 10 games before beating Western Illinois on Saturday, 24-7.

n Northwestern’s offense is not good, ranking 104th in the country in scoring (21 ppg) and 106th in rushing (115 ypg). Again, PSU has the best rushing defense in the nation, so yards will be tough to come by on the ground for the Wildcats.

n It’s time to revisit the PSU season predictions, for two reasons.

First, the Big Ten is so bad that several games that looked like they could be losses now should be victories. Second, with the bowl ban lifted, this Lion team has the motivation and inspiration of having a lot more to play for.

Most people picked PSU to go 7-5, while my pick was 6-6. I’m thinking more along the lines of 9-3 now, with losses to Ohio State, Michigan State and maybe at Indiana. The Hoosiers should be very tough on their home field Nov. 8.

Cory Giger is the host of “Sports Central” from 4 to 6 p.m. daily on ESPN Radio 1430 WVAM. Reach him at 949-7031 or @CoryGiger on Twitter.

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